1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to passenger restraints, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a child restraint apparatus for a vehicle.
2. Brief Description of Related Art
Child restraint devices are required by law to restrain children traveling in moving vehicles. There are three general classifications of child restraint devices: infant, convertibles, and booster seats. An infant restraint device typically is a product that doubles as a carrier and straps into the rear seat of a vehicle with the infant facing the rear. It generally accommodates infants up to about 22 lbs. A convertible device is designed to be strapped in either rear or front facing and accommodates infants and toddlers from 20 lbs. up to 35 lbs. (rear-facing) or up to 40 lbs. (front-facing). Finally, the booster seat is a device that raises the child passenger to a height so that the adult shoulder strap may cross the upper torso.
One problem encountered with the use of these devices is that as the child grows the current device is outgrown, provides no effective protection, and thus a new device must be used. Also, each device in itself must be periodically adjusted to accommodate changes in the size and weight of the child. For example, many devices are formed to include several sets of shoulder belt-receiving apertures in a back wall of the seat so that the device can be adapted by a an adult to restrain children of different sizes. To accommodate a child, the two shoulder belts are uncoupled from an anchoring structure and removed from the current apertures. The shoulder belts are then passed through another pair of shoulder belt-receiving apertures that are more appropriate from the size of the child and re-coupled to the anchoring structure. As the child grows, an adult must repeat the belt adjustment procedure described above using other higher sets of belt-receiving apertures formed in a higher portion of the back wall of the car seat to enlarge the child car seat harness to accommodate the growing child. This process is tedious and thus is often not performed as often as it should be. Furthermore, the location of the apertures may not provide maximum protection to the child.
With booster seats, correct placement of the adult shoulder strap is left to the child and in many instances children place the shoulder strap behind them providing no upper torso protection at all. Additionally, currently available child restraint devices do not provide adequate protection to the child passenger in the event of a side impact, rear impact, or a rollover. As a consequence, the child is at risk for serious injury.
To this end, a need exists for a child restraint apparatus that provides a secure, protective zone for the child occupant in all accident configurations—frontal, side, oblique, rear, and rollover—and which can be modified and adjusted to accommodate children of various sizes. It is to such a child restraint apparatus that the present invention is directed.